Garden books in the Special Collections of the Barr Smith Library
Garden books - Ancient/Mediaeval gardens - Early herbals - Early
garden guides - Husbandry/Landscape
architecture - Special presses/Australia
and N.Z.
Special presses
The mechanization of printing and
papermaking from the middle of the 19th century led to a rise in
quantity but a decrease in
general quality of the printed book with
the exception of the fine printings and reproductions of
special presses, some of
which have been already been described in earlier pages. Another
interesting example comes from the modern successful phenomena of
Penguin, which in 1938 created the King Penguin series of short
monograph texts with fine colour illustrations. Wilfred Blount, art
master at Eton College, produced for this series the first study of
17th century Dutch 'tuliptomania' during which highly prized tulip
bulbs were the subject of heavy speculation, resulting in financial
ruin for many.
Australia & New Zealand
Early Australian material ranges
from the Flora
Australasica of Robert
Sweet (London: James Ridgeway, 1827-1828), which promoted
the cultivation of plants in Britain from the Southern Hemisphere,
to practical manuals written for colonial conditions and other
works describing the joys of gardening in the colonies.
Mrs Rolf Boldrewood's
The Flower Garden in Australia: A
Book for Ladies and Amateurs (Melbourne, 1893) was the first
Australian gardening publication by a woman. Ernst Heyne's The Amateur Garden ... (4th ed.
Adelaide, 1866) described 
the differing growing conditions
of the Adelaide hills and plains, while James Veitch's A Traveller's Notes, or, Notes of a Tour
Through India, Malaysia, Japan, Corea, the Australian Colonies and
New Zealand during the Years 1891-1893 (Chelsea: James
Veitch & Sons, Royal Exotic Nursery, 1896. For private
circulation only) describes the Adelaide Botanic Gardens and some
early Adelaide nurseries at some length. Adelaide botanical artist
Fanny De Mole's
Wild Flowers of South
Australia (London: Paul Gerard, 1861) was the first book
published to illustrate the flora of this state. It contains
lithographed and hand-coloured plates illustrating 38 species of
local plants, and was prepared to raise funds for St Bartholomew's
Church in Norwood. More recent works include the South Australian
landscape heritage studies of Dr David Jones from the School of
Architecture, Landscape Architecture & Urban Design.
A select collection donated by Professor Richard Clough features fine 19th century illustrations of New Zealand flora by Emily Cumming Harris, and the charming My New Zealand Garden by A Suffolk Lady, printed in Wanganui in 1902.
More information on works of garden history in the Collections is available in the Gardens in Time catalogue of the joint exhibition of items from South Australian public insitutions held in 1987. Copies are available for purchase from Special Collections.
the differing growing conditions
of the Adelaide hills and plains, while James Veitch's A Traveller's Notes, or, Notes of a Tour
Through India, Malaysia, Japan, Corea, the Australian Colonies and
New Zealand during the Years 1891-1893 (Chelsea: James
Veitch & Sons, Royal Exotic Nursery, 1896. For private
circulation only) describes the Adelaide Botanic Gardens and some
early Adelaide nurseries at some length. Adelaide botanical artist
Fanny De Mole's
Wild Flowers of South
Australia (London: Paul Gerard, 1861) was the first book
published to illustrate the flora of this state. It contains
lithographed and hand-coloured plates illustrating 38 species of
local plants, and was prepared to raise funds for St Bartholomew's
Church in Norwood. More recent works include the South Australian
landscape heritage studies of Dr David Jones from the School of
Architecture, Landscape Architecture & Urban Design.A select collection donated by Professor Richard Clough features fine 19th century illustrations of New Zealand flora by Emily Cumming Harris, and the charming My New Zealand Garden by A Suffolk Lady, printed in Wanganui in 1902.
More information on works of garden history in the Collections is available in the Gardens in Time catalogue of the joint exhibition of items from South Australian public insitutions held in 1987. Copies are available for purchase from Special Collections.
